So the president allegedly met with some of the Western Cape’s most notorious gang leaders, who pledged their support in an attempt to get the Western Cape back in ANC hands.

News24 reports that the presidency has been rather mum on the subject, after the Mail & Guardian reported that Zuma hosted crime bosses – including Quinton “Mr Big” Marinus and notorious “Americans” gang leader Igshaan Davids, also known as “Sanie American” – at his official residence in Rondebosch back in 2001.

The presidency immediately dismissed the claims as mere gossip, but then again what would we expect them to say. According to the report, two independent sources have confirmed that Zuma’s son Duduzane met the group of criminals at the gate, making sure that the security guards didn’t record the gang members’ identities.

The guy responsible for organising the meeting, Lloyd Hill, apparently thanked el presidente for meeting with them and added that this was their chance to ask Zuma for what they wanted, because “die ou ballie is net so ‘n naai soos ons [the old timer is a f*cker just like us]”.

One of the sources said the criminals assured Zuma that they would the Western Cape back for the ANC, but they added that they were having some issues with SARS, to which Zuma said he would look into the matter.

According to BusinessTech, a new report by Afrobarometer shows that six out of 10 South African’s want Zuma gone and 78% of South Africans don’t think he should be allowed to run for a third term as president.